Kunle Adelabu
While there are still tensions across Lagos State following the violence and irregularities that marred the primary elections of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Saturday, May 29, 2021, it has been gathered that favoured candidates of the party have been issued with Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) nomination forms.
Many of the aspirants, THE IMPACT gathered, were jostled by the development while others have accepted their fate and the decision of the party.
The State chapter of APC, under the chairmanship of Alhaji Tunde Balogun, had on Monday (yesterday) denied the list of party’s favoured candidates flying around.
According to the LASIEC guidelines for the election, the nomination forms are expected to be obtained by the political parties between Tuesday, May 4 and Thursday, June 3.
THE IMPACT gathered further gathered that the officials of the APC and other parties have been collecting nomination forms from the LASIEC office located at 2, Birrel Avenue, Sabo, Yaba, Lagos.
The parties are also expected to submit the nomination forms between Wednesday, May 5 and Friday, June 4.
The display of names of nominated candidates (Chairmanship and Councilorship candidates) and persons nominating them by LASIEC is slated for Saturday, June 5.
Between Friday, June 11 and Wednesday, June 16, 2021, the LASIEC guidelines provided opportunity for political parties and candidates to withdraw or substitute names of initial nominated name(s) for new one(s).
It was gathered that leaders of APC agreed that all the incumbent Council Chairmen who have only served a single term should return despite arguments that most of them have not performed.
Also,it was gathered that some of the leaders of the party were of the view that the incumbent council chairmen, despite their unpopularity, should return as a way of honouring party leaders who anointed them four years ago and still interested in having their favoured chairmen returned for a second term.
In Ikorodu Local Government, the incumbent Chairman, Hon. Wasiu Adeshina, we gathered, is the anointed candidate of the party and has been presented with the nomination form, while Hon. Sulaimon Olanrewaju has been picked for Ikorodu West LCDA.
The duo of Builder Sesan Daini and Hon. Wasiu Agoro, both of whom are consensus aspirants, have also been presented with the nomination forms for Igbogbo/Bayeku LCDA and Imota LCDA respectively.
For Ikorodu North and Ijede LCDAs, the party’s anointed candidates are Hon. Adeola Banjo and Mrs Motunrayo Gbadebo – Alogba respectively.
THE IMPACT also gathered that leading aspirants in some of these councils have been chosen as Vice Chairmen and Secretary to the councils.
It was also gathered that they have been warned on how to conduct themselves when the government is formed.
We also gathered that all the anointed chairmanship candidates and aspirants were summoned to the APC State Secretariat at ACME for a crucial meeting.
Meanwhile, many of the political observers and aspirants have described the development as a rape on democracy on the ground that such primary elections held last Saturday and marred with violence and irregularities, should not be allowed to stand.
They queried how the party arrived at the decisions to pick some aspirants as anointed candidates.
They also said that the ruling party is not promoting justice, fair play and equity by not allowing other aspirants to appeal the primary elections before picking its candidates.
On the other hand, some of the political observers are of the view that none of the aspirants can complain because they knew what they were getting into and that they would have been jubilating if the decision of the party had favoured them despite the fact that there was no election.
